owner steve maryfield worked hard to build his business 27 years ago. >> oh, this doesn't look good. this doesn't look good. >> he's rebuilding it. >> a screen came up that says, you have no access to your server. >> reporter: steve says a hacker took over his computer, freezing two programs he uses to track sales and special orders. >> we have hijacked the files, change your file extensions, we've changed your passwords. there's no possibility of accessing this data. >> reporter: but the crooks were kind enough to offer him two options. either spend years trying to decode their hack or regain control for a price. >> you can pay us this ransom starting with $3,000 immediately and $1,000 for every week seven days that you fail to comply. >> we're seeing a dramatic increase in ransomware. >> reporter: why is that? is it profitable? >> yes. they can make 50, $60,000 a day from hitting a couple of countries. >> reporter: the scheme is successful because often the ransom note often likes like an official notice accusing you of a crime. >> you have inappropriate contact, you've stolen cont